State of the nation

State of the nation | Daily Tribune

Marcos likewise cannot wash his hands of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, the nation’s most trusted person among the top leaders as shown by the same surveys.

In the past 365 days, Marcos made nine foreign trips, more frequent than his visits to Mindanao. The international trips have yielded billions of dollars in possible investments which have yet to be translated into pulsating realities. In all his term so far that totals to 50 trips abroad and we still have to see the biometrics in terms of results.

But, of course, he succeeded in having nine EDCA bases spread out across the country. The advertising cover then was that EDCA would help the country in times of calamities. Over four years since Marcos met and agreed with then US President Joe Biden to establish the EDCA bases, scores of disasters have occurred, the latest the killer earthquakes in Soccsksargen, but I have yet to see Uncle Sam at the scene of the destruction and deaths.

And now let’s brace ourselves for the emergence of Pax Silica with a 99-year leasehold under restrictive US administration with a legal status akin to a consular district.

We have had a preview of how the Presidential Communications Office will thwart the question of unprecedented corruption arising from the ghost flood control projects and budget insertions. Palace Press Officer Claire Castro has barefacedly told the nation that the only president who exposed the anomaly is President Marcos Jr.

Last week, the face of Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. suddenly surfaced in all media platforms bragging of the biggest budget the Marcos Jr. administration earmarked for agriculture. This went to bangus and tilapia hatcheries and 150 dryers for freshly harvested palay all over the country. He boasted too that the price per kilo of palay has gone up to ₱24 and the NFA no longer imports rice.

Let me delve into this. Hatcheries are nothing new. In fact, there was legislation for this authored by former Davao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Alan Dujali.

Dryers are nothing new too. Every NFA station all over the country has a wide cemented drying area called a “solar dryer.” In addition, the stations are equipped with silos to dry the palay in case it rains. The dryers still exist to date as they are made of concrete.

The silos and the rice mills are long gone as these had rusted and were cannibalized. These were projects of Marcos Sr., not Junior or Laurel. In fact, the farmers are asking where the 150 dryers that Laurel boasted he built can be found.

Indeed, the price of palay has gone up to ₱P24 per kilo. But this is true during the off season. At harvest time, the NFA buys palay but stops after a few sacks. Laurel said too the NFA has stopped importing rice. But no less than the President’s sister, Senator Imee, and Federation of Free Farmers president Leonardo Montemayor exposed the importation of hundreds of tons of rice by Planters Products Inc., an agency under the DA.

I really cannot say if in his SoNA the President will take credit for the country having attained “upper middle-income status.” But Marcos Jr. being the “biggest borrower in the last 40 years,” according to IBON Foundation, does not augur well for the nation. It means no more concessional loans. All loans will be slapped with commercial interest.

But then again, with nothing to crow about, Marcos might likely spin the upper middle-income status of the nation and the jailing of some senators.